News

Axon's AZilPix On Show At BVE

19/01/2017

GILZE, NED: At BVE 2017, Axon Digital Design will introduce UK content creators to AZilPix Studio.One, a brand new virtual camera system for live video capture and streaming.

Developed by a team of academics in Belgium, Studio.One employs cost-effective, ultra-high resolution cameras with wide angle and/or fish eye lenses to capture every aspect of a live event from multiple angles. The system is designed to integrate into a traditional or IP broadcast environment and blend seamlessly with Virtual Reality video production, making it ideal for remote internet or broadcast live productions such as music concerts, sports events, church services and conferences.

As a founding partner in AZilPix, Axon has created an interface for Studio.One that allows the system’s cameras to link to its Cerebrum control and monitoring software. Axon is also assisting with sales and marketing for the broadcast market, where it sees significant possibilities for this exciting new technology.

Studio.One essentially consists of three tightly integrated components: camera, capture server and processing software. The server ingests the raw, wide-angle video data from the cameras and allows recording and live processing of this data into one or more rectilinear views and a view mosaic. Although framing can be conducted live, a key advantage of this system is that framing can be carried out offline at the viewing or post production stage. Using software-based pan-tilt-zoom ‘virtual camera’ cut-outs, a single operator can capture perfect shots from multiple vantage points – something that would normally require the skills of a small army of cameramen.

“By generating multiple ‘virtual’ cameras from a single physical camera and by using wide angle lenses that ensure no aspect of a live event is ever missed, Studio.One gives programme makers endless creative possibilities when it comes to deciding how they want their programme to look,” says Prof. Dr. Philippe Bekaert, one of the founders and CTO for AZilPix). “The cameras are very small and unobtrusive, which means they can be used in places where you wouldn’t normally put a camera. It’s also possible to automate the system using pre-programmed camera motions or motion tracking, while our server allows cameras to be shuttered precisely and simultaneously and frames to be time stamped with an SMPTE LTC or other timecode.”

“Studio.One satisfies this demand by combining camera and IT hardware and software in a highly sophisticated and cost effective way,” he explains. “We are very excited to be involved in this project and we are now working closely with AZilPix to develop control and monitoring interfaces for a variety of different applications.”

Axon will showcase a working Studio.One system on its BVE booth so that visitors can zoom in and mix different camera views in real time. Full resolution pre-recorded material will also be available so that the pan and scan features can be used to define new views in post.